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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26112931">A Rival Appears</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/toontown/pseuds/toontown'>toontown</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fraggle Rock</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>First Meetings, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, Pre-Canon, Rivalry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:08:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>881</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26112931</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/toontown/pseuds/toontown</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One and one and one is three,<br/>Think you can keep up with me?<br/>One and one are only two,<br/>Yes, I can keep up with you!</p><p>Or, Red meets Gobo for the first time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gobo Fraggle &amp; Red Fraggle, Gobo Fraggle &amp; Wembley Fraggle, Wembley Fraggle &amp; Red Fraggle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Rival Appears</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerytonWriting/gifts">PerytonWriting</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I headcanon that Wembley is an eventually-earned nickname, and the character's given name is Wilfred, even if an episode or two more or less contradicts that. It was 30 years ago, so I'm taking some liberties.</p><p>This is dedicated to and was beta'd by my partner. (You get me into your nostalgia and you best be willing to proofread what I write for it.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Six days ago, Red met Wilfred. By virtue of being two kids who wanted someone to play with, they became friends. It all seemed quite simple and logical to them. They are one another's first friends, and despite being very different Fraggles, they're having a great time of it. Hours upon hours of those first few days are spent playing together; it's the sixth day where things get shaken up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red has already learned how to swim, and while she offered to teach Wilfred, he couldn't quite commit to learning. Red doesn't understand this at all, but Wilfred seems content to watch her do laps around the swimming hole in the Great Hall. He always tells her how impressive her dives are when she asks about them, too. So while she can't fathom why he never ends up in the water, she's okay with the set-up. Today, though, Wilfred is not waiting for her when she climbs out of the water. He is, in fact, several feet away, talking to another kid. The interrupter is stocky and orange, with a mop of fuchsia hair sticking out from beneath his hat. Red would be excited to meet another Fraggle her age, were it not for the fact that he was distracting her audience.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, still damp, she marches right over to save her buddy Wilfred from what she's decided must be a very boring conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Wilfred, you missed my dive!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, gee! Sorry, Red!" Wilfred says, sounding genuinely apologetic but still looking quite cheery. "But- But guess what! I just met Gobo here!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gobo grins at Red. "So you're the Red I've been hearing about, eh?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Upon hearing that she's been the subject of conversation, Red grins right back. Maybe he's not such a fuddy-duddy, after all! "You bet I am! So, what did Wilfred say about me?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gobo chuckles. "That you're a great swimmer, that's all. He thinks you could make it your job when you're old enough."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red is about to question the 'that's all' bit when Wilfred pipes up. "Red, Red! Gobo already knows exactly what his job is gonna be! Can you imagine? Being able to pick what you wanna do already?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Aw, well, it's not such a big deal," Gobo adds, although nothing in his tone indicates that he means that. Red's pretty sure she's back to not liking him, and that's confirmed when Wilfred goes on to crow,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you kidding? You're gonna be an explorer! That's got to be the neatest, most impressive thing a Fraggle can do!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red is a little too young to fully understand envy, insecurity, and rivalry at this point in her life. All she knows is her hands clench into little fists at her sides, and she takes this to mean she's angry. Weird. "Well, I guess that's impressive, but I wouldn't say it's as impressive as swimming and diving." And then, her voice dips into a hopeful place. "Right, Wilfred?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wilfred's eyes cross some as he's presented with this choice to make. He sticks his hand in his mouth for a moment, deep in thought. Red has realized by now that Wilfred's a wembler, but she just knows he's going to be on her side. They're friends, after all, while he's only just met Gobo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think they're both great!" he ultimately declares. Red's anger is immediately replaced with far worse emotions: hurt, fear, sadness... She's heard about these feelings but never felt them, at least not like this. There's no wembling in her mind when it comes to them, either: They're the worst, and this is her first and last time dealing with them. Sure, being angry wasn't fun, or very good form for a Fraggle - but it was easier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red stands up straight and looks right at Gobo, taking a little pleasure in the fact that she has to look down to do so. “You two can keep talking about exploring. I’m going back to the swimming hole to do something </span>
  <em>
    <span>besides</span>
  </em>
  <span> just talk,” she states. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Wilfred looking troubled, and feels badly about it. However, she’s distracted by seeing something in Gobo’s expression tense up. She’s sparked a temper in him with her comment, she can tell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This puts them on even ground, and honestly, that kind of makes this angry feeling fun. At least, that’s how Red sees it. The next words are out of her mouth before she has to think about them. “Let’s go, Wilfred. Gobo can come, too - </span>
  <em>
    <span>if</span>
  </em>
  <span> he can keep up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sneers, and Gobo smirks as he wordessly accepts her challenge. As the two scramble for the water, Wilfred trailing just a bit behind, Red realizes that this isn’t going to be friendship in the way she’s learned about it, or in the way she’s experienced it thus far, with Wilfred. Maybe she doesn’t dislike this Fraggle. Maybe liking him comes in the form of besting him. It doesn’t make sense to her, but when she makes a running leap back into the water of the swimming hole, and the splash she creates soaks Gobo and Wilfred, and all three of them laugh? She doesn’t care. Because she knows, this is all going to be a lot of fun.</span>
</p>
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